These "Joint Capability Technology Demonstrations," or JCTDs, are the Defense Department's way of nudging promising high-tech efforts out of the lab, and into the field. In a sense, they represent some of the best bets the Pentagon thinks it can make. They include:

Zephyr, a hand-launched, solar-powered UAV that could fly "continuous operations for periods of months at a time." In the air, it'd be a"low-cost persistent surveillance and communications relay," with providing "ground radio communications links over hundreds of square miles and surveillance of logistics routes and ground threats."

Global Observer, a "long-endurance, liquid hydrogen-powered unmanned aerial vehicle"that flies as high as 60,000 feet. At that altitude, the drone would provide "persistent surveillance capability" an "broadband communications" for small outposts, "reducing the number of forward bases required for world-wide support." Think of it as Zephyr's bigger brother.

Combat Autonomous Mobility System, which "demonstrates integrated, ground-based,autonomous technologies to leverage current special operations forces (SOF) manpower. Usesmature sub-components to extend intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance range andtargeting coverage, to improve joint fires support and multiple command and control unmannedground and air systems, and to provide automated support for multiple SOF mission profiles."